To help him accomplish this goal, New Living provided helped him choose and install non-toxic flooring materials and no-VOC paint. While paint is very important to indoor air quality, Dr. Warner was especially excited about his new floors. Marmoleum, a brand of natural linoleum, was installed in this dentist’s treatment area. This flooring option contains materials that are harvested sustainably and also help inhibit the growth of bacteria and microorganisms, helping the environment as well as people.

Dr. Warner spoke passionately, stating “I wanted to improve the environment and improve health at the same time”, He says, “and as we know, those two go hand-in-hand”. By taking care of ourselves, we also take care of our Earth, a concept that is a driving force for Dr. Ben Warner, as well as New Living.

We at New Living (and our friends at The Green Painter) are looking forward to the opportunities of the coming year, and have made the following New Year’s Resolutions.

1. We will continue to connect discerning customers with the best, healthiest, and greenest home and building products on the market. As part of this, we will continue to hold all suppliers responsible for having a positive social and environmental impact, and keep an eye out for new companies and products that do the same. We will continue to believe that business can be better, and that we are all interdependent, as promised in the B Corporation “Declaration of Interdependence.”

2. We will work harder to share our mission with the world. Our raison d’être is to educate consumers about the health, environmental, and social aspects of home and building products, and to help grow the market for quality and holistically responsible products. We will also work with painters, builders, designers, realtors, manufacturers — and anyone else who shares our goals — to create good, green jobs through education and professional development.

3. We want to be a louder and better voice for changing the ways businesses operate. We are for incentivizing responsibility in all industries, and hope there will be a day when all businesses look at their triple bottom line — people, planet, profit.

4. We will take a step back and look at our own operations, and critically assess whether our businesses are run in a way that is good for the community, the economy, and the environment. We believe that small changes can make a big difference, and that this is the aspect of our lives that should “never stop improving.”

5. Finally, we will turn to the large and growing community that works to improve Houston’s health, environment, and community. We will reconnect with old friends and make new ones, collaborating to make next year Houston’s best year ever.

Happy New Year from your friends at New Living!

This year, New Living is proudly participating in the American Cancer Society’s Holiday Shopping Card Program. Proceeds from the sale of this $70 shopping card go to the American Cancer Society which funds cancer treatment, research, and education in America and around the world. Those who buy this card can save big on their holiday shopping while contributing to this most important cause. New Living, the Green Painter, and many other local merchants will be giving a 20% discount to card holders on select items during the 10-day event. This is a great time to purchase one of New Living’s non-toxic, organic mattresses or some non-toxic paint from The Green Painter.

New Living and The Green Painter have chosen to support this cause not only because we support and admire the work of the American Cancer Society, but also because of our shared mission to increase public awareness of the links between environmental and public health. We hope that together, our support of this program can lead to a better, healthier future in Houston and beyond!

Details:

- Purchase the Holiday Shopping Card at New Living or any other participating merchant.

- The card-holder will receive 20% off of mattresses at New Living and paint at The Green Painter during the week of October 27 and November 6.

- Proceeds from the sale of the card will go to The American Cancer Society. New Living will keep none of the proceeds.

- For more information, please check out the program’s website.

The need for better painting practices and products was highlighted when the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed the painting profession as the only profession to have a demonstrable occupational risk for cancer. A painter’s cancer risk is elevated because of constant exposure to toxic chemicals in paint commonly referred to as VOCs – volatile organic compounds. Health concerns for those living in recently painted homes (up to a year after painting) have also been studied extensively and shown to be worth considering. With better practices and products, painters and clients alike will be able to breathe easier and worry less about paint-related health problems.

The green painter certification program began in Houston in the Summer of 2010 as a partnership between New Living and Green Painters, an Australian not-for-profit. Attendees are educated about nontoxic and natural paints and coatings, green painting techniques, and green business practices – all to ensure that painters are trained to both have a minimal impact on the planet and that they provide safe and healthy environments for their employees and clients.

Those who complete the course receive a certificate from New Living and The Green Painter verifying that they are one of Houston’s certified green painters. Certified Green Painters will use natural products with low or no VOCs, and they will reduce waste and environmental impact by purchasing the right amount of paint and cleaning their tools responsibly.

Details: For $175, painters can be dubbed certified green painters and receive a $50 credit to The Green Painter. The full day program runs 9-4 on Saturday, September 10 (with a one hour lunch break). There are 10 spots open for this day, but more courses will be run in the future. To sign up, stop by New Living or call Heidi Massin at 832.488.5418.

The freshly painted KIAH Offices

KIAH table, painted with non-toxic paint

KIAH now has green, healthy offices

***Testimonial compiled by Whitney Moore***

Working as a house painter for the past 30 years, Nemicio always used regular paints containing toxic VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) until a friend suggested that he visit New Living and try some of our non-toxic NOVOC paints. “With regular paint,” he says, “you have to get used to the smell, and wear a mask so you don’t inhale the fumes. But with the paint from New Living there is no smell and you can use it without wearing a mask and not get a headache.” He even suggests New Living’s paints to other builders and contractors, telling them that they are much better than traditional toxic paints. The EPA states that exposure to VOCs can lead to adverse health effects such as damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system, as well as cause cancer . The risk is especially high for house painters due to the prolonged exposure to these chemicals. By switching to New Living’s non-toxic paints, not only is there no smell, but also no exposure to toxic VOCs, creating a much healthier environment for the painters and the residents. We are very glad to have Nemicio and many other Houston painters using our product, and especially glad when they love it!

***This and other testimonials compiled by Whitney Moore***

Anyone who has ever painted a room with conventional paint knows that the smell of paint is terrible. Typically, you have to wear a mask, can’t stay in the room for a few days, and may even feel dizzy or get a headache. This is because conventional paints are filled with harmful chemicals known as VOCs which emit toxic chemicals into your home (even after the paint dries) and can be detrimental to your health. One of the worst chemicals in conventional paints is also one that is used by morticians to preserve the dead, formaldehyde.

Although safe to use on the recently deceased, formaldehyde is know to effect the health of adults and children in a variety of ways. Several studies have found links between the use of paint and childhood leukemia. A University of California study found a significant association between rooms painted and an increase in leukemia – 65 percent. Furthermore, mothers who used paint during pregnancy were three-times as likely to have a child with acute lymphobalstic leukemia. There have been several other studies that have uncovered links and associations between formaldehyde and cancers among adults. Studies of paint workers have revealed that they are at a higher risk for cancer of the bladder, lungs, pancreas, liver, and stomach because of their exposure to formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals in paint.

The formaldehyde in paints has also been linked to skin irritations, eye irritations, bronchitis and can cause problems in the central nervous system. The U.S. National Cancer Instituted found in a 2009 study that the longer funeral workers spent embalming bodies with formaldehyde the more likely they were to to develop certain types of cancer – particularly those who were involved in embalming for more than 20 years. Formaldehyde can also trigger asthma – a condition which has increased nearly 600% since 1980.

To keep yourself home from smelling like the dead, and causing health problems that could put you six feet under, it’s important you look at the label at all paints that you buy to see how much formaldehyde it contains. While it is federally regulated, many paint companies still carry it at “safe” levels – even though medical evidence suggest the safest level is none. Read the labels of the paints you purchase and buy paints that don’t contain any VOC (No VOC) and make sure that the colorants put into the paint don’t contain any VOC. No VOC paints not only are absent of formaldehyde, but they don’t have any other Volatile Organic Compounds making them safe to use! Most who use them say there is very little smell and never feel dizzy or develop the headaches that they once did with conventional paints. Using non-toxic No VOC paints will help you stay away from formaldehyde in your home and in your body for a very very long time.

Further Reading:

Human Carcinogens

Formaldehyde FAQ

Join New Living + The Green Painter on Saturday, May 28th as we celebrate living green in the community!

We’ll be getting the new CuraYoga studio ready by painting with eco-friendly food-based Anna Sova Paint.

Plus, a special appearance by Anna Sova Paint Founder Whitney Walker!

Activities for the kids

Family-friendly fun

Food and Drinks from Green Plate Kids and Trentino Gelato

Paint and Product Specials all day long

We hope to see you in the neighborhood!